Porphyrogenes Watson, 1893

Austin, George T. & Mielke, Olaf H. H., 2008, Hesperiidae of Rondônia, Brazil: Porphyrogenes Watson (Lepidoptera: Pyrginae: Eudamini), with descriptions of new species from Central and South America, Insecta Mundi 2008 (44), pp. 1-56 : 2-3

Porphyrogenes Watson, 1893

Type species: Telegonus omphale Butler, 1871

Porphyrogenes is a large genus of neotropical skippers ( Hesperiidae : Pyrginae: Eudamini ) in which Evans (1952) and subsequent authors (e.g., Mielke 2004, 2005) recognized fourteen species and an additional four subspecies occurring from Honduras and northeastern South America to Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina ( Evans 1952, de Jong 1983, Murray 1996, Nuñez Bustos 2006, Anderson 2007). There are no records of Porphyrogenes for El Salvador ( Steinhauser 1975), Guatemala ( Austin et al. 1998), Mexico ( Warren 2000), Uruguay ( Biezanko and Ruffinelli 1967, Biezanko et al. 1974), or Chile ( Peña and Ugarte 1996); we have also found no records for Belize. Most species are rarely encountered by traditional collecting techniques (but see Janzen and Hallwachs 2008); Evans (1952) studied only 88 specimens of the genus, of which only four species were represented by 10 or more specimens (6 by more than 5 specimens). Few species were recorded during surveys of biodiversity in Peru (one at Tambopata and two at Pakitza; Lamas 1994, Robbins et al. 1996) and Ecuador (one species; Murray 1996), and de Jong (1983) found only three specimens from Suriname. This apparent rarity is partly due to their late afternoon and crepuscular activity period (other taxa with such behavior were treated by Austin and Mielke 2000, Austin 2008). In Rondônia, males of Porphyrogenes were rarely encountered except in association with swarms of army ants or at paper lures ( Austin et al. 1993). In addition, a few individuals have been observed at lights during the night. Despite the large size of the genus, little is known of its life history ( Monte 1934, Moss 1949, Silva et al. 1968, Cock and Alston-Smith 1990, Janzen and Hallwachs 2008) or other aspects of its biology ( Hoffmann 1931, Austin et al. 1993, DeVries et al. 2008).

Species of Porphyrogenes are distinguished by their size, wing shape, secondary sexual characters, genitalia, and color and markings. Evans (1952) characterized Porphyrogenes by short antennae, a long apiculus, lack of apical macules on the forewing, marked sexual dimorphism, and various species-specific secondary sexual characteristics of males. These latter are not universal, but include a costal fold on the forewing, a variously modified vein 2A on the forewing, especially prominent on the venter (often bare and swollen and/or sinuate), hair-like tufts on the dorsal hindwing (usually in the discal cell, cell Sc+R 1 - Rs, and anteriorly and posteriorly from vein 2A; cell 2A-3A folds to enclose the latter), other tufts, and specular areas on the dorsal hindwing and the ventral forewing. Venation of the hindwing has additional species-specific characteristics, including the relative positions of the origins of veins Rs and CuA 2. This is here considered in relation to the end of the discal cell as it is defined by the origins of veins M 1 and M 3; note that this at times differs from the terminology in Evans (1952) where there apparently was no defined point of reference for the relative origins of veins Rs and CuA 2. Males of most species are brown and extensively overscaled with tawny to red-brown. Overscaling is heaviest basad, especially on the forewing. This overscaling is lost to varying degrees, particularly distad, on flight-worn individuals revealing the dark brown underlying ground color and results in these individuals appearing much darker towards the termen. The forewing is unmarked except on one species that has a yellow band on the forewing and another that has small pale macules. Evans (1952) reported Porphyrogenes as having 23-25 segments on the nudum. Specimens examined for this study had a range of 24-33 segments (mean = 27.7) and varied within single species by as many as five segments.

Females may be strikingly different from males, often being larger, browner or grayer, and with large transparent or translucent macules or a transverse band on the forewing. At present, it is impossible to confidently associate many females with their conspecific males. Evans (1952), nonetheless, identified females for all species except three. Some of Evans’ associations are called into question below. Although some combinations are made here based upon wing shape, color and pattern, and/or venation, in some instances, correct matching of males and females will be determined with certainty only through rearing studies, from in copula pairs, or DNA analysis. No new species are herein named from females because most or all unmatched females will eventually be associated with an already named male.

Male genitalia of Porphyrogenes have a short and stout tegumen often with a pair of lateral caudally oriented processes, usually a single or double hair-like tuft at the juncture of the tegumen and uncus, a divided uncus usually with its arms widely spaced, a divided gnathos, and a moderately long saccus. The thin vertical connection between the horizontal portions of the tegumen and saccus, often incorrectly called the vinculum, represents the combined ventral arms from the tegumen and the dorsal arms from the saccus (sensu Pierce 1909); this is generally stout and slightly curved on Porphyrogenes . The valva is elongate with the ampulla/costa region somewhat oval or triangular, the sacculus narrow, and the harpe is often elongate, narrow, and upturned caudad, the caudal end often spiculose or finely toothed or expanded. The aedeagus is stout and blunt, ranges from shorter to longer than the valva, and the vesica has spike-like cornuti, these often numerous. Female genitalia, available for only a few species during this study, have a broad sterigma with the lamella postvaginalis having a thin sclerotized band incised shallowly in a narrow U-shape centrally and a lamella antevaginalis of two weakly sclerotized lateral plates and, often, a rectangular central plate, and may be asymmetrical. The membranous ductus bursae is variable from very short and broad to longer and thinner and often has a sclerotized plate on one side near its caudal end. It may join the corpus bursae at its caudal end or more cephalad. The corpus bursae is short and globular or narrower and more elongate.

The following accounts address taxa of Porphyrogenes encountered at the study site in Rondônia, with comments on other material examined during the course of this investigation. The first section summarizes described taxa, the second describes taxa needing formal descriptions, and the third includes descriptions of unplaced females. Because nearly all species are poorly known and inadequately characterized, descriptions are given for all those examined closely during this study. Mielke (this study) examined and photographed type material of all taxa except that of Phareas cervinus Plötz, 1883 , which is apparently lost (see below). Since species of Porphyrogenes are often superficially similar and a number of unnamed species exist, it is necessary to unequivocally define named taxa. Accordingly, historical types are identified and illustrated ( Fig. 1-10, 13-24, 27-36 , 39-48 ) and, where pertinent, lectotypes and a neotype are designated. Taxa described by Evans (1952) have an identifying label affixed to their types; these are the [holo]types of those taxa. Also illustrated are the primary types of the newly described species, supplementary specimens examined as part of this study including unplaced specimens, and venation and genitalia of many phenotypes. Synonymies are given only for those taxa with a change in status or synonymy; others are given by Mielke (2005). Time given is local time. Numbers (#) refer to dissection numbers (GTA – G. T. Austin, SRS – S. R. Steinhauser). Abbreviations for museums are as follows: ANSP (Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA), BM(NH) (Natural History Museum, London), CMNH (Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA), MGCL (McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Gainesville, FL), MNHN (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris), MNHU (Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt Universität, Berlin), and USNM (National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC).

Figures

Figure 1-18. Types and associated specimens of Porphyrogenes (ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface). 1) Porphyrogenes boliva Evans, 1952, [holo]type male, ds. 2) same, vs. 3) Phareas ferruginea Plötz, 1883, lectotype male, ds. 4) same, vs. 5) Augiades despecta Butler, 1870, lectotype female, ds. 6) same, vs. 7) Telegonus omphale Butler, 1871, lectotype male, ds. 8) same, vs. 9) Eudamus pausias Hewitson, 1867, lectotype male, ds. 10) same, vs. 11) Porphyrogenes pausias, female associated with lectotype, ds. 12) same, vs. 13) Telegonus probus Möschler, 1877, lectotype female, ds. 14) same, vs. 15) Porphyrogenes suva Evans, 1952, [holo]type male, ds. 16) same, vs. 17) Telemiades vulpecula Plötz, 1882, lectotype male, ds. 18) same, vs.

Figure 19-36. Types and associated specimens of Porphyrogenes (ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface). 19) Physalea sororcula Mabille & Boullet, 1912, [holo]type female, ds. 20) same, vs. 21) Bungalotis immaculata Skinner, 1920, [holo]type male, ds. 22) same, vs. 23) Porphyrogenes spanda Evans, 1952 [holo]type male, ds. 24) same, vs. 25) Porphyrogenes spanda, 1952, female associated with [holo]type, ds. 26) same, vs. 27) Porphyrogenes zohra stresa Evans, 1952, [holo]type male, ds. 28) same, vs. 29) Telegonus zohra Möschler, 1879, [holo]type male, ds. 30) same, vs. 31) Ocyba sula Williams & Bell, 1940, holotype male, ds. 32) same, vs. 33) Porphyrogenes glavia Evans, 1952, [holo]type male, ds. 34) same, vs. 35) Porphyrogenes sparta Evans, 1952 [holo]type male, ds. 36) same, vs.

Figure 37-50. Types and associated specimens of Porphyrogenes (ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface). 37) Porphyrogenes sparta, female associated with [holo]type male, ds. 38) same, vs. 39) Porphyrogenes spoda Evans, 1952, [holo]type male, ds. 40) same, vs. 41) Porphyrogenes stupa Evans, 1952, [holo]type male, ds. 42) same, vs. 43) Eudamus passalus Herrich-Schäffer, 1869, lectotype female, ds. 44) same, vs. 45) Thymele virgatus Mabille, 1888, lectotype female, ds. 46) same, vs. 47) Thymele eudemus Mabille, 1888, lectotype female, ds. 48) same, vs. 49) Porphyrogenes sp., female considered to be female of Telegonus probus in its original description (see text), ds. 50) same, vs.